DES201 - 2018 GDN (Week02) Wiki
Welcome to the DES201 - 2018 GDN (Week02) Wiki World Brief 02 - Urban Legend (written by 1700282, Aaron) WORLD PITCH DOCUMENT Version 1.00 Saturday 6th, October 2018 NAME: The Watchmakers Curse GENRE: Narrative Action Adventure PLATFORM: PC TYPE: Singleplayer CORE CONCEPT: Urban Legend SYNOPSIS (SUMMARY): Have you ever heard of the Watchmakers Curse...? No...? Let me tell you a story about a man, and his desire to transcend all time. The story begins with Peter Henlein, a German 15th century inventor, credited as the man most responsible for the earliest dated watch. I say earliest dated, for in truth there was one such older timepiece; the Cursed Watch. Wrought by Peter Henlein's rival, Baron von Zeitmacher, the Cursed Watch was the result of fierce competition between the Baron, a well-to-do nobleman and inventor and Peter, a common locksmith's apprentice. Each were tasked by the Bavarian Count to invent and present a portable timepiece; a watch, and so Baron Von Zeitmacher, known for his invention was invited to Court alongside a talented commoner, Peter Henlein. The two departed with hopes of achieving the fortune of holding the Count's favour... Peter, patient and practiced spent his time crafting various timepieces, and with each iteration came closer to the dream of both functionality and elegant aesthetics. Zeitmacher, not known for his appreciation of common townsfolk, felt the challenge beneath him and hired spies to observe Peter's work. Having learned through the spies communique the means to create a watch, Zeitmacher fiercely began work on his own, superior watch. However, at the time Zeitmacher's wife, the fair lady Baroness became increasingly curious as to her husband's activity, of which had no end. The years went by, and each year the Baron would show off his progress to her, it received lesser impact with each demonstration, as her heart grew lonely. A number of years later, the Baron's wife fell ill with fever, and yet her husband continued his work unaware of her weakening state's severity. At last, each watchmaker had succeeded in their invention, at the cost of twelve years effort they both had in their eyes; the perfect timepiece. Baron von Zeitmacher held his gleaming, jeweled watch before his wife, and in that witnessed her death. Agony swept over the Baron, enraged by time wasted on his foolish endeavour, he felt Peter most responsible for the prolonged competition and vowed to win the competition once and for all. The two were summoned to the Court once again, and presented their inventions before the Count of Bavaria. Peter's watch, while humble in design and aesthetics, ticked forward with accurate measure. When it was time for Zeitmacher to present his piece, he proudly offered his gilted pocket watch to the Count... The Count was impressed, never had he seen such a fine piece of practical work so gilted, and upon opening it had come to notice the hands of the clock ticked backwards, from 12, instead of forward. Jestingly, he gave the timepiece back and assured Baron von Zeitmacher that his work could not have been tested thoroughly to ensure it worked properly. His time had been wasted. Peter, delighted was inducted into Court as an engineer. Baron von Zeitmacher engulfed with lament and fury, returned to his estate and descended into the depths of the stately home. Now, the Baron was a known cultist, and began at once to place an enchantment upon the watch, one that would tick back the life force of anyone who clasped it. A day had passed and a servant came to check upon the Baron. When they came upon the cellar door, inside a burnt magic circle lay the timepiece... Baron von Zeitmacher was nowhere to be seen. The story of the timepiece, it's journey across the world is haunted by the spirit of Baron von Zeitmacher, and they say that that very same watch is out there, somewhere, in the possession of some unfortunate soul; and wherever this watch is, disaster is sure to follow. Goals & Aims The objective of this storyworld is to develop upon a fictional urban legend, and as agreed by the group, some objectives have been set toward the narrative development of this concept. The following weekly deliveries are considerations that support the development of this narrative, and as such will shape the project goals & aims: CORE CONSIDERATIONS (FROM COURSEWORK) * Diachrony, Synchrony and Narrative Anachronism * Frames, Schema and Sequence consideration (incl. developing narrative affordance into gameplay) * Power dynamics (Discourse vs. Perceived, Established Power → Story) , Agency and Emergent Narrative * Intended/Unintended Perception, Psychology * Establishing narrative-friendly rulesets, harmonising 'story as gameplay' at a deeper, unconscious level TEAM GOALS & AIMS (FROM TEAM MEETING) * Fiction Story: Urban Legend → A Cursed Watch, Material, Timeless (irony), Flawed (by and for man) * Gameplay Subroutines: ** Player-Time relationship, each level requires *** 60:00 Minutes to complete objectives *** Different player-character per level, all have relationship to the Cursed Watch *** Uncover the Overarching narrative 'for' the player through gameplay, unaware of their fates *** Necessitate replay through Diachronous Gameplay (story moves forward, despite failing to properly uncover narrative subplot or main storyline; i.e. each level is independent but linked) ** Narrative design via Gameplay *** Designers have freedom to explore Narrative Expose through their level *** Encourage exploration, at a cost to time spent by the player: **** Narrative value vs. the Time-Constraint (i.e. the player's path through the game is non-linear, and depends on the quality of their choice) **** Environmental, Player-NPC Interactive Narrative Design * At a minimum, each level must connect in some manner or form to the overarching legend, and remind the player of the legend/story. Game Setting(s) The Cursed Watch involves multiple settings, across various timespans. This is deliberately to demonstrate the differing and changing 'lifestyle' needs vs. wants of each time period. This also helps create diverse, informative aspects that connect to a non-linear narrative. The setting (and first level) is a modern period, and is both the prelude to the game's narrative, and the precursor for the next level in some manner. A visual way to describe this is to imagine time is always forward for the player-character, but progression in the game goes backwards; a metaphor for time's ceaslessness. * 2018 - Halloween of '18 * 1992 - A Day in Europe * 1989 - Dresden, East Germany * 1977 - Your First Personal Computer * 1929 - Wall Street Crash * 1914 - Franz Ferdinand's day out * 1904 - Wilbur Wright 1st French Flight * 1852 - Californian Gold Rush * 1820 - Antarctica Discovered (Bellingshausen/Lazerev) * 1775 - The Midnight Ride * 1605 - The Gunpowder Plot * 1530 - The Cursed Watch's origins The decision to write a narrative design element around a specific period helps add precision to the nature of the writing involved. The creative direction of the chosen period is entirely up to the writer and allows for a vast array of different styles that collaborate toward a narrative experience (but should always be consistent with the main urban legend story. Members 1201363, Ross 1602129, Connor 1700282, Aaron 1701635, Charlie 1701807, Mark 1702172, Noah Narrative Design Elements Character Design (Ross) Character Design Game-play/World-building (Mark) Level Design (Ross) Dialogue Tree Mission Design (Noah) Faction Design Cutscene Scripting Game Mechanic Design (Aaron) Progression Design (Charlie) Latest activity Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Add one below! Category:Browse